COUNTY NEWS: Tabby cat rescued from tight spot in Sussex

A cat who was stuck between two walls so tightly he struggled to breathe has been rescued and reunited with his owner.

Albums, the three-year-old tabby cat, had become tightly stuck between an office building and an external wall in Hove, yesterday (Thursday, June 1).

Albums with owner Lucy Hartwell

The owner of the building called the RSPCA and animal collection officer (ACO) Julie Parsons attended to try and free the cat.

She said: “Poor Albums was stuck very tightly between two walls with about a four-inch gap. No one knew how he managed to fit in there in the first place.

“It took about three hours, working with East Sussex Fire and Rescue to create a huge hole in the wall to free him.

“He was struggling to breathe where he had wedged himself so tightly between the walls so time was of the essence.

“However, due to his position firefighters had to make the hole by removing each brick individually and catching each one so that they didn’t land on top of him and hurt him.”

Just when it looked like Albums had used all up of his nine lives, one last tug saw the moggy freed.

Nick Oliver-Taylor, watch manager at Hove Fire Station, said: “Crews were called to an address in Coleridge Road, Hove, to assist the RSPCA in releasing a domestic cat from an entrapped position between two 10 foot high walls in an approximately 3-4 inch gap. It was not possible to reach the cat who was stuck about eight feet from either end.

“The crews worked painstakingly for three hours to disassemble the interior of an office space and remove parts of the wall by hand, brick by brick, in order to release the cat unharmed.

“My thanks goes to the staff of the local business for noticing the cat in the first place, and for their compassion and consideration in allowing us to use their premises, as this was the only way we could carry out the rescue.

“Thankfully, with the support of the RSPCA the cat was able to be reunited with its owner with no lasting effects.”

ACO Parsons added: “I’d like to say a big thank you to East Sussex Fire and Rescue Services for their assistance. We’re always incredibly grateful for any help we receive from them and, in this case, their help ensured we were able to save Albums and reunite him with his owner.

“He was covered in dust and had dust in eyes but apart from that he was fine. After running his microchip details we were able to locate his owner, Lucy Hartwell, a vet herself, who was extremely grateful to us.

“Having mummy as a vet meant we could leave Albums with her and she treated his eyes and kept a watch on him overnight.

“It’s great when a rescue like this has such a happy ending and I was delighted to reunite Albums with his owner.”